Mod Post: A reminder to folks that trying to bait supporters by posting alternate names for a football club may lead to a yellow card. Folk are welcome to post in any superthread they wish to, but nobody is free to use superthreads or this forum in general as somewhere to try and bait/flame/troll other posters.
Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: » That really the best you can do
Peppa Pig wrote: » The CL anthem is only played during the group stage matches. Honest question - do you believe Charles Green will still be at Rangers when its next played at Ibrox at a Rangers game?
bobbysands81 wrote: » Any word on the Big Tax Case and when it might be out? I know there's rumours that Rangers have already been notified but is there any truth about this?
My heart sank as I watched last week’s Channel Four News item about critics of Rangers FC coming in for threats or menacing intimidation from either fans or rogue elements with links to the Ibrox club. I’ve been there, had the treatment, received such threats myself. It was all highly familiar, even if I've never written publicly about it until now. One of Channel 4’s interviewees was Gary Allan, the Scottish QC, who said that, after his involvement with an SFA panel which punished Rangers for bringing the game into disrepute, Strathclyde Police had summoned him to an urgent meeting due to threats being made against him. Allan spoke of the subsequent threats to himself and his family. It was obvious he regretted ever getting embroiled with Rangers in the first place. My own story of covering Rangers – and being critical of certain aspects of the club – has incurred similar menace. It all started around 10 years ago when, as chief sports writer on The Herald, I began focusing on the bigoted singing issue over which the club was then wearyingly engaged with its supporters. After a number of pieces highlighting this blight upon Rangers, the threatening letters, the phone calls and the internet poison on Rangers fans’ sites all began to build in momentum against me. Round about 2005, my then editor at The Herald phoned me and said: “How do you feel about this? We have a concern about it at the paper. We think we should speak to the police about your security.” I was pretty nonplussed to hear this, not least because, in truth, I had never been that bothered by it. “I don’t think we need to go that far,” I told my editor. “I really don’t think it’s that bad, is it?” In the end, we agreed to let it lie in terms of police involvement. Yet the threats towards me grew. It seemed to me they came from a kind of rogue, angry underclass which appeared to have attached itself to the club. Any sweeping generalisations about Rangers fans, however, were both futile and inaccurate. The fact was, whenever I engaged in pub debate with Rangers fans – which was often - the conversation was normally civil, if combative. But then came another incident, when the press bus stopped 200 yards short of the Villarreal stadium on a Champions League night with Rangers in 2006. I got fairly bumped around and was spat at as we made our way through the Rangers throngs to the arena. That was the night when the Villarreal team bus got pelted and suffered a smashed window, and just months before Uefa censured Rangers for bigoted chanting. On the latter, a few Rangers fans on the fervid message-boards blamed me for somehow “shopping” the club to Uefa via my critical editorials on the subject. Fast forward to 2011, by which time we’d had the disturbances in Manchester involving Rangers fans, and their offensive singing at the 2011 League Cup final, both of which caused the club further headaches. Again, I’d written critically on these topics, which only kept the poison flowing in my direction. Then, on the morning of April 21 last year, colleagues began texting me about a fresh alarm. The Daily Record had published a picture of me with an accompanying story, claiming I was one of a number of people being targeted by cranks, because of my criticisms of Rangers. That particular day I had other family concerns on my mind, and I more or less ignored the Record story. But the next day I received a phone call. “Graham, this is Detective Chief Superintendent [xxxxxxx] from the counter-terrorism unit at Strathclyde Police…” I was incredulous. “You’re kidding me, right?” I said. “You are kidding me on, surely?” “No, I’m not,” he said. “And we think we need to come and see you at home pretty soon.” I duly spent two hours listening to police security specialists explaining to me that they had information about threats being made against me, and that these threats were linked to my writing and broadcasting about Rangers. And so it has gone on, the threat of intimidation rising and falling in line with my writing about this football club. The context, I believe, is this. Rangers FC have had supporter issues to deal with over the years. Many of these issues have seen great improvement in fans' behaviour. But among the Rangers hard core there is resentment. Their faux Protestant culture around Rangers is something many Ibrox fans want to bin but the “traditionalists” want to preserve. It often seems to me that a modern, liberal Scotland has abandoned this section of the Rangers support; left them behind, and even actually mocked them for their out-dated beliefs. Whatever the context, in my own experience, Channel 4 got it right. You sometimes mix with Rangers at your peril.
Jelle1880 wrote: » So I take it the journalists who have already come out claiming Thomson's crap was untrue are lying ? Spiers has previous for posting lies, this won't be any different.
Dempsey wrote: » I dont have much time for Spiers and his ramblings but I find it very amusing that you claim that he 'has previous for posting lies, this won't be any different.' given your track record of airbrushing things! Has any of those journalists the ones that have been threatened by Rangers fans? Could you link us to those journalist's articles where they have slated Thomson. Are these people going to be anymore credible than Spiers?Which part of Spiers article could he be possibly lying about? The threats, the talk with police, the wrecking of buses in Villarreal, the wrecking of Manchester, the abuse he gets on social media sites?
Jelle1880 wrote: » Probably those. But then again, I'm not surprised you take his side in this, nor the fact you'd rather get personal than look at the facts. As for journalists who are discrediting Thomson's claims ? Ronnie MacKay: Ronnie MacKay @RonnieMacKay@MattMcGlone9 do you have a problem with me saying I've never been threatened by Rangers fans? As you seem disappointed! Surely that's good? Rangers Supporters @rangersfctrust Journalist denies threats and celtic fanzine writer accuses him of being part of the problem. Someone explain the logic - stumped! Retweeted by Ronnie MacKay Paul Hughes:@BhoyEddie I'm saying I have never heard of 32 guys who have been threatened for reporting on Rangers. Why is that hard to accept? Tom English:@calum2k I would admit it, absolutely. But I've never been threatened and nobody from the NUJ has ever asked me if I've ever been threatened Tom English @TomEnglishSport People emailing me asking me if I'm one of the 32 journalists supposedly seriously threatened by Rangers fans. I'm not. If Graham Spiers is your 'proof' then you can rest assured that Thomson is full of ****. Again.
Charles Green wrote: "I got death threats. There were lots of threats," he said in the original interview.
Jelle1880 wrote: » Same old Dempsey. So you have about 8 journalists who have openly come out and ridiculed Thomson's claims, and the only who seems to side with him is a man with a proven track record of lies. Wouldn't surprise me if McNally and Philly Bhoy would come out and be the next 2 to 'have been threatened'. Why doesn't Thomson come out and name them ? Right, because he can't. As for Green's supposed death threats, learn to read. I only said that it wasn't Green who mentioned them, but the police who informed him of the chance of threats. Green said he received abuse (which he did), that's not the same.
Green never said he received death threats, that was the police.
So they thought he may receive death threats, there is nothing to suggest he actually did receive them.
he was informed of the chance there may be death threats.
Charles Green wrote: "I got death threats. There were lots of threats
Jelle1880 wrote: » ICT tonight, not too confident given the recent performances.
Jelle1880 wrote: » Horrible decision there, kicked him right off the park and not even a yellow. Game over though, this team is simply too bad to compete with ICT, and that's the hard truth. Guys like Black, Perry,... either need to get their finger out or can **** off to the reserves.
lubo_moravcik wrote: » Am only listening on radio but sounds like Caley are ripping yous a new arsehole. Alexander keeping you in it, next goal is crucial
Jelle1880 wrote: » They're having a laugh at Caley, they're not even breaking a sweat. Penalty lol, nice one. Now they can score a few more for all I care, maybe it'll force McCoist or Green to do the right thing.
Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: » Remember we are a div 3 side or is that only when it suits you.
Pompey Magnus wrote: » You are div 3 team but the players are earning SPL money, would the ICT starting 11 be on any more money than this Rangers team? If they are being paid that kind of money they really should be performing better.
